Oil and sand separator.



OIL AND SAND SEPARATOK, APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 190B.

Patented Apr. 25, 191 1.

7 SHEETS-SHEET lNVENTOH [re a; 7/..312741 2? WITNESSES Kh a/w/ ATTORNEYSOIL AND SAND SEPARATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1908.

Patented Apr. 25, 191-1.

7 SHEETS-*BHEET 3.

III I 9 9 I J m H 9 i 6 m L. W. BROWN, DEGD.

G. I. BROWN & D. L. B. GORDON, EXEOUTOES.

OIL AND SAND SEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 190B.

990,800. Patented Apr. 25, 1911. I 96 7 sums-41mm: 4.

w) 26 .5'1 31 26 Fgfi,

W/TNESSES INVENTOH Z inaSK IIBZWMIZ ATTORNEYS L. w. BROWN, 1mm).-

G. r. nown a I). L. B. 00111301, nxnuuwons. OIL AND SAND SEPABATOB.

APPLICATION Hum In 29, 1908.

Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

7 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSES INVENTOH lz'rzus Wfiro urn A TTORN E 78 L. W. BROWN, DEGD.

G. 1'. BROWN @D. L. B. GORDON; EXEUUT OEB.

OIL AND SAND SEPABATOB. v

V APPLIOATIOK FILED IAYZQ, 1'908.

PatentedApr. 25, 1911.

SHEETS-SHEET 6.

WITNESSES I INVENTOI? A TTOHNE YS L. W. BROWN,'DEGD. a. r. BBOWR a; n.L. 3. 001111011, nxnourons. 1

OIL AND SAND SEPABATOR. 1121 110111011 nnnn In no, 1908.

990,800. Patented Apr. 25, 1911.

7 BHEETHKEBT 7.

WITNESSES INVENTOH Za'zzas 71 .Bz-om rm usrs UNITED STATES PATENToFFioE.

LINUS W. BROWN, 01 BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA; GEORGE 'FRfiVCIS BROWN ANDDAISY LUCRETIA BROWN CONDON CEASED.

EXECUTORS OF SAID LINUS W. BROWN, DE-

OIL AND SAND SEPARATOB.

Patented Apr 25, 1911.

Application filed May 29, 1908. Serial No. 435,705.

To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that 1,.LINUS W. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Bakersfield, in the county'of Kern and State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and Improved Oil-and .Sand Separator, ofwhich the following is .a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an oil and sand separator, relating more particularlyto improvements in appliances of the character described in anapplication filed by me March 21, 1967, serially numbered 363,762, onwhich thePatent No. 879,728 was granted February 12, 1908.

. The present apparatus is for the separation of the oil from the sandas fast as they are pumped from the well, which permits of the runningof the oil to the storage without being delivered to the sumps orotherwise comingin contact with the ground or exposed where evaporationcan take place, or

the danger of tire.

- 2*, 3 and 6, the

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan of the separating and flow tanks and adjacentconstruction; Figs. 2'and 2 are sections respectively on the lines 2 -2and 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is asection on the line 3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical central. sectionalView, showing a modification of the separatingtank as shown in Fig. 2;Fig.- 5

is a vertical central sectional view of the separating tank shown inFig. 4, looking in a direction at substantially right-angles thereto;and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic View of the appliance complete.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 2, appliance is shown toconsistprimarily of a separating tank 10 and a flow tank 11, these tanksbeing of substantially the same outward form and arranged in an uprightposition at the same elevation on a suitable support or platform 12.Both tanks preferably have bottoms of/conical form to which isdetachably connected in the case of the tank 10, a boot-casing 13, whichis in communication with a sluice or sand discharge pipe 14, having acontrolling valve 15. Centrally and longitudinally arranged in the tank16 is a tube 16, which, at its bot-.

1 clined chute 37.

tom, is supported on rollers 17 a substantial distance above the bottomof the tank, the rollers being carried by supports 18, posiutioned atsuitable intervals. The upper portion of the tube 16 passes through thetop of the tank, where it is provided with contacting rollers 19, and asurrounding gear 20, the latter being in mesh with a pinion 21 fixed tothe lower end of a shaft 22, which also carries at its opposite andupper end, a bevel pinion 23 in mesh with a similar but larger pinion24, this last-named pinion being carried on a driven shaft 25.

Surrounding the upper portion of the tube 16 is a drip tank 10*, andrising thereabove at opposite "sides are frames 26 having ad- -'justablebearings in which a shaft 27 is journaled. The frames also providebearings fora shaft 28 arranged at substantially the same elevation andat one side of the shaft 27, and a shaft 29 arranged below and betweenthe shafts 27 and 28.

. Journaled crosswise in the boot-casing is 'a shaft 30, parallel to theshafts 27, 28 and 29', and to all of these shafts are attached spacedsprocket wheels, respectively indicated by the reference characters 31,32, 33

. and 34, over which pass chains 35 having buckets 36 attached atintervals oftheir length, the said buckets discharging as they pass overthe sprocket wheels 32 into an in- I have shown the shaft 25 extended beyond the frames 26 at one side, Where it carries a sprocket 38 adaptedto be thrown into andout of operation by a clutch 39. This lastmentioned sprocket Wheel is driven by a driving shaft 40 through asprocket wheel 41 and chain 42, the driving shaft being pro-. vided witha band-wheel or pulley 43, which, as shown in Fig. 6, is operativelyconnected with the driving pulley of an engine 44 by the belt 45.

The lower end of the tube 16 has attached thereto a number of radiatingvanes or stirrers 46, each vane having a number of cross-pins conformingto and ap filling the conical bottom 0 the tank.

roximately Above these vanes or stirrers the tube 16 is surrounded aconsiderable portion of its length by a heating coil 47, which, as bestshown in Figs. 1, 2 and 6', is supplied with the exhaust steam from theengine 44 through a pipe48. The upper portion of the heating coil 47discharges through a pipe with a communicating with a wash-out pipe 65,

49 having a check valve 50, the'said pipe ..being connected. to theouter end of an oil injecting nozzle 51, which leads -into theseparating tank approximately midway its height, and, as shown indotted. outline inv Fig. 2 and in full lines in Fig. 3, curves slightlydownwardly in the tank and'is conand pipe49, is an oil and sand pipe 52.leading from the well 53, as shown in Fig. 6,

and a pipe 54 leading from one or more other we! A pipe 55 for theconduction of live steam connects with the nozzle through the connectionin the pipe 49, and has a controlling valve 56. Leading into the searating tank at or. below the elevation 0 1 the nozzle 51 is a water.supply pipe 57 vhaving a con'trolling valve 58. A pi e 59 connects withthe tank a substantial distance below the normal water level and has acontrolling valve 60, and between said valve and the tank it is providedat one side swingingIor pivoted pipe 61 which is hel in adjustedposition by a chain or other flexible connection 62.

Above the coil 47 the separating tank is provided with vbafiie plates 63and6'l, both baffle plates being of conical form, wlth the baflle plate63 arranged adjacent to the wall of ,the tank and inclinin inwardly anddownwardly, and the ba e plate 64 arranged adjacent to the central tube16 and inclining outwardly and downwardly.

The bottom of the flow tank 11 connects having a controlling valve 66. Avertical suction pipe 67 leads from the normal oil level of the flowtank to a pump 68, as shown in Fig. 6, which pumps the oil to thestorage. A Verticallyarranged overflow pipe 69 leads from a point nearthe top of the flow tank 11 to the well 53, the connection between itand the well preferably being through a drip .tank 70- which surroundsthe upper portion of the well and collects and returns to the well suchoil as is generally lost by leakage. The pipe 69 also connects with thedischarge from telltales 7land 72, connecting respectively with theseparating and flow tanks at their. normal water levels, the dischargefrom these telltales being through a U-shaped pipe 73- having funnels 74at its ends. A water supply-pipe 75 passes to the lower portion of theflow tank, where it is provided with discharge nozzles 76, are radiallyand downwardly directed, with one of said nozzles pointing directly'overthe entrance to the wash-out pipe. Above the discharge nozzles of thewater supply pipe, and at or near the normal waterlevel in the flowtank, is a horizontally-arranged heating coil 77,

arela- I through the which connects, as best shown in Fig. 2, with alive steam pipe 78 having a controlling valve 79, and with the exhauststeam pipe 48 throu h a pipe having a controlling valve 80, t is pipealso being extended to provide a ipe 81 discharging into the atmosphereand having a controlling valve 82.

Leading from a point near the top of the separating tank, which is thenormal oil level, is a pipe 83 which discharges into a vertical pipe 84in the flow tank. This pipe 84 is open at the top and projects to orslightly below the normal water level in the The operation of theapparatus is as follows: The separating tank is filled with Water up tothe adjoining tell-tale, and this Water level is maintained automaticallby the pipe 61, regardless of the water rom the wells-or from condensedsteam, by the water regulator device '61, which dev1ce is adjustable tosuit not only any water level desired but any gravity of oil by changingthe angle of the pipe 61. The distance the top of-the regulator pipeshould be adjusted from the surface of the water level is dependent onboth the depth and ravity of the oil. The water regulator maye washedout when desired by opening the valve 60.

The water which is at the height of the telltale 72 in the flow tankserves the purpose of an absorbent cushion to receive any smallparticles of sand from the separating tank. Oil as pumped from the wellor wells is delivered direct to the separating tank through the pipes 52and 54, and nozzle 51. As it asses through this nozzle it is spread outin a thin film, breaking up the sand. The contents of the separatingtank are kept to the required temperature by the exhaust steam from theengine, which has heretofore been allowed to wastef The exhaust steamadmitted pipe 48 passes through the heating coil and heats the contentsof the tank as a dry heater. Such heat as is contained in the exhauststeam which is not-taken oil in its passage through the coil, togetherwith the hot water from condensation in the coil, passes through thecheck valve 50 and enters the oil delivery pipe or nozzle and thenpasses into the separating tank with the oil as a wet heater, operatingto keep the oil from entering'the heating coil. Should there be any moreheat in the exhaust steam than is required,

. the valve 82 is opened and aportion allowed to escape to theatmosphere. Should there not be enough heat in the exhaust steam, thedeficiency is made up by using live steam as the check valve 50 passinginto the flow tank a wet heater by opening the valve 56. The

exhaust steam is admitted to the'dry heating coil in the flow tank bythe valve 80,-or this coil may be heated with live steam by closing thevalve 80 and opening thev through the pipes 52 and :54. and nozzle. 51"as above described and falls directly into the hot contents of thetanks, and in, this heated condition the oil separates from the sandandrises, and the sand falls?" As the oil rises it strikes the baffleplates, and any en-- trained sand is keptbackwhile the oil passes aroundthe plates and rises to and overflows into the flow tank through thepipe 83. Any sand separating from the oil above the baffle-plates fallsthereon and slides back into the lower part of the separatin tank. Theoil passing into the flow tank falls through the vertical pipe. 84 ontop of the water, where any small particles of the sand escaping fromthe separating tank are absorbed, and the oil thus cleansed rises to theoutlet of the suction pipe 67 and .is delivered thereby to the oil pump68 and is thence by this pump pumped direct to the storage. Should theoil pump 68 become disabled or fail to take oil from the flow tank asfast as produced by the separator tank, the oil in the flow tank risesand passes out through the overflow pipe 69 back to the well, thusavoiding any loss of the oil from such a contingency. The heating coilin the flow tank is for the purpose of heating the oil in the event thatmore heat is necessary than the oil contains on leaving the separatingtank, or to heat the oil in the flow tank in event 4 the oil thereinbecomes cold. The sand as it separates from the oil in the separatingtank falls through the hot Water to the bottom of the tank, and is therekept in slow motion by the vanes or stirrers 46, which allows anyentrained oil to separate from the sand and float to the top of theseparating tank and works the sand between the supports 18, where itfalls into the boot casing 13. The sand as it is stirred in the hotwater and thoroughly washed, falls into the elevator boot casing, and isby the elevator buckets discharged into the sand chute 37 and deliveredaway from the machine. The bore of the central tube 16 provides a spacein which the elevator buckets operate, and the walls of this tubeseparate this space from the oil and sand contained in the sur- Irounding portion of the tank. Should any oil be entrained in the sandand reach the inside of the tube, it floats to the top and is deliveredinto the drip tank by the buckets 36, from which the oil passes backaround the central tube or through openings in the bottom of this tankif desired, thus saving any oil which might escape from the apparatus inthis direction. Water as may be required for the separating tank isadmitted by opening the valve 58. When desired to empty the tanks,

flow into the separating-tank until all ..the oil is raised to and flowsthrough the pipe 83 into the flow tank, when the valve 15 of thedischarge pipe 14. is opened and the separating tank dralned. Thedeposit of sand,

"etc., at the bottom of the flow--tank is removed by allowing the Waterto flow through the several jets or nozzles. 76 whichthoroughly cleansesthe conical bottom, one of said jets flowing directly into the wash-outpipe and o crating to prevent the same from clogging, t e valve 66 atthis time being open to permit the flow of the sand to the water andsand pile. The telltales of the separating tank and flow tank dischargeinto the funnels 74, and this oil, water, etc. pass through the overflowpipe back to the well.

In the modified form of separating tank shown in Figs. 4 and 5, theconstruction and operation is in all respects the same asv-that justdescribed, except that it has no sand stirring or sand elevatingappliance, and the water 1n this tank is introduced through a pipe 57 8having the discharge jets or nozzles 57 arranged directl over theconical bottom, and a control ing valve 58*; also a manually-controlledvalve 15 seating over the outlet of a sand pipe 1d, the valve stempassing through. the center of the tank, where it is connected to oneend of a lever 15, the opposite end of which has an operating handle 15.In this construction, a sand thief 15 is employed, which the attendantuses in determining when the tankv needs cleaning, at which time he openthe valves 58 and 15, causing the flow from the jets to break up thesand and wash it through the sand pipe; 1

While I have described the preferred form of my improved oil and sandseparating appliance in detail, I nevertheless recognize that variouschanges may be made falling within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. The combination of an oil separating tank adapted tocontain water, anoil injecting nozzle lead-ing into the tank above the normal waterlevel, having an elongated discharge opening to deliver the oil in theform of a relatively thin film, and a steam supply leading into thenozzle.

2. The combination of a separating tank for separating a mixture of sandand oil, a flow tank for further separating the sand andoil, each ofsaid tanks adapted tocontain water normally maintained at differentlevels, an oil well, means for ,passing the oil from the well in theseparating tank above the water level therein, means for discharging theoil from the separating tank into the flow tank below the water leveltherein, an overflow pipe leading from the the water is allowed to flowtank to the oil well, and telltales disand an elevator for dischar I andan elevator for removing the sand from i 15 Y a drip tank carried at thev water levels into the overflow pipe,

means .for discharging the oil at the upper revolu 1e tube within tank,and an elevator operating withinthe charg' g from the tanks at theirrespective 3. The-combination of a separating tank' mixture of sand andoil,

for separating a a tube within the tank herewith at lower. end,

ing the sand from the tank, operating within the tube. 4

4. The combination of a separating tanik;

portion of the tan communicating having a boot cas'in thereof, a tubewit-hm the tank communicating therewith above .vator discharging fromthe casing through I the tube.

The combination of a separatin for separating a (1 revoluble tubeincommunication with the tank at its lower end having stirrers Flowerportion thereof, a discharge chute at attached to the bottom the casing,and an eletank mixture of sand an oil, a

on the for se arating a mixture of sand and oil, :a i {the top of thetank, a casing attached to the the tank having stir-;

thereof,

ring vanes on the lower portion the tank, operating within the tube.

5. The combination of a separating tank, 1 top of. the sepa-f ratingtank, a tube leading from the lower portion of the separating tank to'the drip tube. V

6. The combination of a separating tank 'mg therefrom, and an e 3 thesand from said tank and discharging it into said chute.

:naaneto specification "two subscrflaing ttom of the tank havin a sandpipe leadevator for removthrough the In testimony whereof I have signedmy in the presence of witnesses. LINUS W. BROWN. Witnesses;

J Am E. ENGLAND,

H CASTLE.

